Greece said it would be willing to agree with Turkey on delimiting their respective economic zones at sea, urging its neighbor to tone down what it said were tensions harming Ankara's ties with the EU, Reuters reports.

"My door is always open, but this dialog presupposes a reduction in unnecessary tensions," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after meeting German Acting Chancellor Angela Merkel who was visiting Athens.

"Greece has signed agreements defining exclusive economic zones with neighboring countries like Italy, Egypt. There is no reason why we cannot do it with Turkey, provided that the tensions be toned down, and realize that such an approach would be eventually beneficial to both countries," Mitsotakis said.